I'll Protect You
by Titled Heart
Summary: Pre-series. Pre-slash. Kogan. "I'd never let anyone hurt you, Logie. Not as long as there is something I can do to prevent it." Rated for mild language.


_Okay, this one is a little longer than the last three. XD _

_I want to make a couple of comments before I start this whole thing too. Number one, I know next to nothing about hockey or its terms...so cut me a little slack if you're a huge hockey buff and this doesn't sound right. The most I have to go on is The Mighty Ducks...and that's about it. So if it's not perfect, I'm sorry. I apologize right now._

_Number two, Logan is a tiny bit out of character near the end, but it's for a reason, that will be clarified at the end. So, don't hurt me BEFORE you finish the story. XD _

_Number three...this was actually inspired by "How Kendall Got Logan to Hollywood" from XChemicalXFallXPanicX, because she put the most awesome line in there that just made my brain start working and she's AH-MAZING and awesome and I freakin love her on levels that are bordering illegal. XP _**"But that's just it! With this boy band thing, if we take off he won't have to worry about scholarships because he'll already have money! And I wouldn't let him get hurt, on the ice I look out for him. If there's a big hulking guy plowing towards him I **_**always **_**shield him. You've seen it," Kendall pressed. "Look, I know this is risky but what's a life without risk?"** _ That is the paragraph that inspire this, in case you're wondering._

_Alright, now that I'm done with that little tirade...here we go! Hope you like it. It was written from about midnight until 0230...when I was supposed to be sleeping so I could get up for work...o.o_

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It was really rough out there. The opposing team wasn't holding anything back and were really pushing the refs. Problem being, it was an away game, so many fouls weren't being called. In fact, Carlos had been in the penalty box more times than anyone else, and he had yet to do anything as brutal as their opponents.

The coach tapped Logan on the shoulder, shaking him from his steady gaze that was fixated on the player with 'Knight' written across the back of his jersey. The brunette could tell by the tension in his friend's neck that he was irritated.

Logan jumped over the low wall and glided up to Kendall, who held his hand out to bring him in for a "man hug." He patted Logan's shoulder then relayed a few instructions to their team mates who had skated over. James still had a minute in the penalty box, so they were a man down and things were looking pretty grim. Everyone was banged up.

They skated apart, waiting for the ref to drop the puck. Logan took a fortifying breath and got into position.

Kendall caught his eye and mouthed a quick _'be careful_.' And Logan felt his heart swell, any trace of nervousness fading away, leaving only anticipation.

The puck was dropped and Kendall charged, taking possession so quickly the other guys didn't even stand a chance. The little black piece of plastic was fought over for quite a while, enough time that James had already rejoined his team, before they made their first score. Logan raised his hockey stick in celebration and high-fived Kendall. They both skated back into place and began to repeat the process again.

About five minutes in, Logan capture a pass midway and turned himself around, gliding effortlessly towards the right net. He didn't see the defense setting up.

But Kendall did.

He shot across the ice so quickly, he must have been a blur. The only thought running through his mind was that he couldn't let his Logan get hurt. He promised himself.

Logan looked at him in wide-eyed shock as he pushed him forward, knocking him to the ground just as two players plowed Kendall straight into the wall. He managed a small wink before his world went black.

"Kendall?" Logan yelled, scrambling to his knees to get to his friend who had slumped to the ice. The medics had his team mates hold him back (and Logan was going to kill James and Carlos for actually _doing_ it) while they checked to make sure the blonde didn't have any neck injuries. Logan's gloved hand was clutched around the sleeve of Carlos' jersey as he watched the medics load his friend onto a stretcher and pull him off the ice.

One of the large goons who was responsible whispered to the guy next to him and they both chuckled. Logan saw red.

"You think this is funny?" He yelled at them, pulling away from his friends to skate right up to the other guy and get in his face. The boy was probably twice his size, in height and bulk, but Logan didn't care.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did we hurt your boyfriend?" He taunted, nudging Logan's shoulder condescendingly. Logan looked at his shoulder and smirked in a way that would make Kendall proud. He pulled his gloves off and dropped them next to him. Then he grinned at the big oaf, reared back, and delivered a solid punch to his jaw.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Kendall came to with a sharp groan. His head pounding incessantly and the smell of sweat invading his nostrils. He eased his eyelids open and blinked.

"Hey, he's awake!"

Kendall slowly moved his head to the side, met with the sight of a bright smile and cheery face. Carlos patted James' arm as if the taller boy couldn't see that their friend had finally opened his eyes. Something wasn't right, and it took a moment to realize what it was. Logan wasn't there, and James had a nice, dark bruise on his cheek. He glanced at the Hispanic boy again, and there it was, a split lip that was still nice and gooey.

"Where's Logan?" Kendall croaked out, his throat feeling dry and scratchy. Then another thought hit him. "Is he alright?" God, he couldn't handle the thought of that boy being hurt. Surely he wasn't injured after the fall.

James barked out a laugh then pierced the blonde with a look. "He's fine, the little douche." He said, leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees. Carlos chuckled, rubbing his palms up and down his thighs.

"Yeah, he's a little worse off than us, but he'll be fine. He's in the showers right now." Carlos expounded, furthering the confusion Kendall felt.

"What the hell happened?" The blonde finally asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, after you saved Logan from being mowed over by those overgrown monkeys," Carlos began, smiling proudly at his name calling skills. "They brought you up to the school infirmary. You'd been knocked out, but the medics didn't think there was any other damage." Carlos glanced over his shoulder and didn't continue.

"Okay...well...did we win?" He asked, hoping his team had trained well enough to get along without him.

"Don't know," James shrugged, a brooding expression taking over his face. "Those 'overgrown monkeys' were laughing about you getting knocked out so Logan yelled at them. Then he punched one of them," He paused to sigh dramatically and Kendall's eyes widened. "So, of course, the guy's lackey got involved, which means we got involved. Long story short, we were kicked out of the game for fighting."

"Yeah, did you know Logan could fight?" Carlos asked, bouncing slightly in his seat, showing no concern over being ejected from the game. Kendall shook his head slowly, then moved himself into a sitting position on the uncomfortable table-bed thing. "I was surprised, too. But man, he had some power behind that punch." James snorted, then crossed his arms over his chest. "Aw, quit pouting Jamie." Carlos cooed, getting his hand slapped away when he tried to pinch his cheeks.

"Yes, please do James. I already told you, you didn't _have_ to join in." Everyone turned to look at Logan, and Kendall's jaw went slack. His little Logie was sporting a shiner on his right eye and a cut lip to the left.

Kendall jumped down off the table-bed thing and crossed the aisle, automatically taking Logan's chin in his hand and tilting his head to the side. Logan just stood there, a smirk in place and his hands in his pockets, gazing up into Kendall's face in relief. If the blonde was up and moving about, then he was okay, and that's all that mattered to the shorter boy.

"Geez, Logan. Does the other guy look as bad?" Kendall asked, tilting the boy's head in the opposite direction, enjoying the skin contact a little too much, but his eyebrows knit together in worry. Logan's smirk grew.

"Worse." He responded, finally catching those green eyes with his own and smiling a genuine smile, his gaze softening. Kendall sighed and released Logan's face.

"You shouldn't have done that. Your parents are going to be pissed," Kendall ran a hand through his hair, cringing at the sticky feeling of sweat. "They're going to kill me."

"They were talking shit about you, Kendall. I couldn't let them get away with that, it was my turn to protect you." Logan replied softly, patting his friend's cheek lightly, his fingers lingering against the stubbly skin for a few moments longer than was considered normal. But that was them, Kendall and Logan, days filled with lingering touches and affectionate gazes.

"Well, Coach is already pissed off. And Jamie here is well on his way every time he looks in the mirror," Carlos teased, earning a glare from the tall boy. "So, I'm thinking we should probably go back to the rink and see what we can do to make Coach happy before anything gets worse."

The other three agreed and made their way to the door. Kendall and Logan hung back a few paces, shooting each other glances.

"Thank you," Logan finally said, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck. "Those guys would have sent me to the hospital with a fractured vertebrae if you hadn't pushed me out of the way."

Kendall grinned and slung an arm around the shorter boy's shoulders. "I'd never let anyone hurt you, Logie. Not as long as there is something I can do to prevent it." He gave Logan a gentle squeeze.

Logan had never felt better in his entire life. He couldn't even bring himself to worry about what would happen when they finally got home.


End file.
